Plant package



H. P. MULFORD PLANT PACKAGE March 12, 1935.

'2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec; 1, 1931 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS March 12, 1935. MULFQRD 1,994,400

PLANT PACKAGE Filed Dec. 1, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A I a v IHIIHHHI:

INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS,

Patented Mar. 12, 1935 r V UNITED STATES PATENT FFEQE e 1,994,400 PLANT'PACKAGE Hewett I. Mulford. Lebanon, Ohio Application December 1, 1981, Serial N0.'78,260

12 Claims. (Cl. 206-46) My invention relates to plant packages, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the blank ilparticularly to a novel plant. package having lustrating the first folding operation. cover portions which are unfoldable to expose Fig- 4 is a perspective view of the blank ilthe flowers or foliage .of the plant for display. lustrating the second folding operation.

5 In the packaging of plants having flower Fig. 5 is a perspective view of my preferred 5 buds, flowers and foliage, in the past it has type of carton completely closed. been customary to enclose the roots in a pot Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the carton filled with dirt and to wrapthe foliage or flowopened out in display position. ers or buds with paper. Sometimes a stick has Fig. '7 isa perspective View of. the detachable been inserted in the dirt of. the pot to support top formed from the blank shown in Fig. 2. 10.

the leaves and foliage. In any event'the plants In Fig. 1 I have shown a cardboard container have been fragile, .so'that the delivery, for exhaving a bottom wall 1, with side walls- 2 ar ample, from department stores has resulted in ticulated thereto. A front wall 3 is also articusuch. frequent damage to the plants that such lated to the bottom wall 1. The wall 3 has stores have had to -insist that customers carry articulated thereto to one side succeeding por- 1:,- them with them. tions 4 of similar size and shape as the side In displaying the flowers or foliage, it has wall members 2. Attached to the outer. one of been necessary to untie and unwrapthe paper the walls 4 is a flap 5 which has an interlockand. this required re-wrapping and re-tying, ing tongue 6, and to the other side of wall 3 which also resulted in frequent damage to the is attached a'fiap 5a provided with slots 7:'f01 20 plants. receiving the tongue 6..

Altogether, the flimsiness of the wrappings Articulated to the remaining edge of the wall of potted plants has ofiered: a serious handicap 1. is an upright member 8, to which is joined to profitable commercial marketing; along one side a cover member 9. Connected It is an object of my invention to provide to the other wallof' the member 9 is a member 25 a plant package which will'be of substantial 10. The member 10 has a flap 11 hinged to sturdiness so that the likelihood of damage in it which is provided with tongues 12,. which delivery ill be materiallyless'enei. interlock in slots 13 in a folding flap 14 con- Another object istheprovision of a package nected t0 the pp edge of member A carton which 111 v 'container'with slit 15 separates the bottom portions of members 30 inforced two-ply walls enclosing the pot, and l-' and a Slit 16 separates the botFom with single-ply walls enclosing the foliage or portions of members aand fflgwers c 1 1. g e f lded stages of the boa assembly are illustrated in back; 130 display. the plant If is my object to Figs. 3 and 4; First the sldes 2 and member 8 S0 arrange i t fo kin tabs on pdrtions are folded up at a right angle to the bottom wall 35 of the carton enclosing the foliage or flowers 1; n the Wall 9 15 d? at right fg i that the walls' or the carton can be arranged to the .that owel' 1 the wall 9 lies against the outer surface of one either to completely enclose and protect the exf m W id walls 2 The wall 3 is then folded posed growing portion of the plant, or to fold o e S e alls 2, and fia 5a is then 4 40 back so that. the plant may be attractwely d18- f c ild ii i ag i ris tl outer surface zif the other 0 played side wall 2.

Another (meat of my mventlon Is to Then the flaps 4 and flap 5 are foldedaround Vide package for growing plants which can be the outer surfaces of the members 9 and 8, passmade from a single cut and scored blank. inglthmugh slits 15 and 1 respectively The 45 The above and other 919369155170 which s flap 5 thus becomes folded against the outer ence will be made in the ensuing disclosure,- '1 urfa e' of.the flap" 5a and t tongues 6 are accomplish by h certain combination and caused. to interlock Within the slots 7.. Iangement of parts -W have Shown a The next operation in assembling the conp e e d embodiment:- tainer isto fold the wall 14 acrossthe flaps 5a 50 Referring t0 the d aW v and 5 so that its edge flap 1'7 will lie against Figure 1 is a plan view of my preferred type of the outer surface of the .wall 3. A substantially carton blank. cubical compartment is thus formed for receiv- Fig. 2. isv a plan view of a blank which may ing the pot in which the roots of the plant are be folded to form acover for the carton. growing, which container has two-ply walls en- 55 closing two of its sides, and three-ply Walls enclosing the other sides. Thus on the sides formed initially by folding up the flaps 2, there are three thicknesses of board and on the opposed walls there are two thicknesses. This makes a sturdy container within which the pot may be placed without likelihood of damage.

After the pot is placed in the compartment having the bottom wall 1, the walls 10 and 11 are folded around so as to'make a rectangular enclosure for the flowers or foliage of the plant. The tongues 12 may then be inserted in the slots 13 so as to lock the walls enclosing the.

plant foliage within the compartment.

As one way of forming a closure for the top of the container, I may provide a lid having articulated sides 19, to opposite pairs of which top closing fiaps 20 are articulated. A lock for the cover member is formed by flaps 21, one of which I has a tongue 22, and the other has slots 23 for receiving the tongues.

While I have shown one type of top cover, it should be understood that the cover may be formed in one piece from the blank forming the container.

Fig. 5 shows the complete package, ready-for delivery. By interlocking the locking tabs 12 over the slots 13, which can be accomplished by a pressing movement upwardly, the wall 10 may be folded back against the outer surface of the wall 9, and the wall 14 may be folded back against the outer surface of the wall 8 with its flap 17 around between walls 10.and'9 and wall 11 outside of wall 14. The tongues 12 of the 1 wall 11 may then be inserted in the slots 13 of the wall 14, and the foliage or blossoms of the plant will be attractively displayed against the background formed by the inner surfaces of th walls 8 and 9.

'In'the illustration in Fig. 6 a wrapper 24 is shown as enclosing the pot and the foliage of the plant is indicated at 25. The lower portion enclosing the pot may or may not be'decorated as a jardinire and the pot may be enclosed in auxiliary waterproof container. The packages may be stacked in a truck thereby enabling more packages to be placed in the truck than with the former methodof .tiering the flimsy .wrapped pots. 1

It will be readily understood that the general shape of the package may be varied and the manner of'arranging the tongues changed; but since no one previously has suggested the use of a container having a reinforced portion for 'housingthe pot of a plant and folding walls which will fold back so that the plant maybe attractively displayed, I claim the same broadly herein.

Having thus described-my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:'

1. A plant package comprising a container and a potted plant having the pot housed within said container and its foliage extended from the container, said container having extensions meeting there-around forming an enclosure for the foliage, said extensions being reversely foldable to meet around the container for exposing the plant foliage for display.

2. A plant package comprising a container and 'a potted plant having the pot housed within said container and its foliage extended from the container, said container having extensions each folding around a plurality of its sides for forming an enclosure for the foliage, said extensions being reversely foldable around sides of the con-' tainer for exposing the plant foliage for display,

said container having multiply side walls com- I prising the extensions folded in either direction. I V 7 3. A container for a potted plant having portions foldable to form a compartment for housing the plant pot with the plant foliage extended therefrom and extensions on said first noted portions foldable around I a plurality of sides of said compartment toQform a compartment for housing the plant foliage, said last noted portions reversely foldable around a plurality of sides of the compartment to reveal the foliage of the plant.

4. A display carton for a pot enclosing'portions for locking around the lateral sides of the pot and independently fold able foliage enclosing portions looking around said pot enclosing portion.

5. A carton for enclosing a potted plant propotted plant having V vided with foliage enclosing members movable] to such position as will expose the foliage'ofthe plant, said members comprising articulated walls provided with locking means for retaining"-cer-- members hinged to the other edges of the respective extensionsto meet around the plant foliage or to fold in back of said upward extensions for' display of the foliage at aplurality of sidesthereof.

7. A container for a potted plant having a multi-sided compartment for the. pot, comprising opposite inner upstanding plies and outerupstanding plies wrapping laterally around the. inner plies, and a series of foliage compartment walls 7 extending up from said compartment and wrapping laterally around the pot compartment.

8. A- container for. a potted plant comprising a rectangular bottom, with inner walls folded up from two opposite edges, a first series of walls folded up from a third edge and wrapping around said inner walls, forming a container for the pot, and a second series of. higher-walls folded up from the fourth edge of .said'bottom and wrappingaround the walls of said pot con tainer and forming an enclosure for'the; plant foliageby their, extensions above said pot con:

tainer. I 9. 'A'contain'erv for a potted plant comprising a rectangular, bottom with inner. walls folded/up from twoopposite edges, a first series of walls folded up from a' third edge and' wrappin'g around said'inner walls, forming a container for the pot, and a second series of higher walls fold? ed upfrom the fourth edge of said bottom and wrapping around the walls of said pot'contain'er and forming an enclosure 'for the plant foliage by their'extensions above said pot container, said second series of walls having slits through which the first series of wrapped-around walls extend to bind one of two walls of said second series to said inner walls.

10. A container fora potted plant having a V multi-sided compartment for the pot, comprising opposite inner upstanding pliesand outer' upstanding plies wrapping laterally around the inner plies, and means on the respective-ends of said outer plies interlocking and holding said outer plies around the inner plies, a series of foliage compartment walls extending up from said compartment and, wrapping laterally around the pot compartment, and means on the respective ends of said series of foliage compartment walls interlocking and holding said series of walls around the pot compartment.

11. A container for a potted plant comprising a rectangular bottom with inner walls folded up from two opposite edges, a first series of walls folded up from a third edge and wrapping around said inner walls, forming a container for the pot, and a second series of higher walls folded up from the fourth edge of said bottom and wrapping around the walls of said pot container and forming an enclosure for the plant foliage by their extensions above said pot container, each series of walls having means on its respective ends to hold the series of walls in wrapped-around condition.

ed up from two opposite edges, a first series of walls folded up from a third edge and wrapping around said inner walls, forming a container for the pot, and a second series of higher walls folded up from the fourth edge of said bottom and wrapping around the walls of said pot container and forming an enclosure for the plant foliage by their extensions above said pot container, said second series of walls having slits through which the first series of wrapped-around walls extend to bind one of two walls of said second series to said inner walls, each series of walls having means on its respective ends to hold the series of walls in wrapped-round condition.

HEWETT P. MULFORD. 

